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52nd Street (album)
| Recorded = July–August 1978 | Studio = A&R Recording, Inc., 799 7th Avenue at 52nd Street, New York City | Genre = Rock | Length = | Label = Family Productions/Columbia | Producer = Phil Ramone | Last album = The Stranger (1977) | This album = 52nd Street (1978) | Next album = Glass Houses (1980) |Misc = }} 52nd Street is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released in 1978. It was the first of four Joel albums to top the ''Billboard'' charts, and it earned him two Grammys. Three songs reached the Top 40 in the United States, contributing to the album's success: "My Life" (#3), "Big Shot" (#14), and "Honesty" (#24). |accessdate=2011-10-03}} It was similarly well received by critics, earning the 1979 Grammy for Album of the Year. This Grammy was presented to its producer, Phil Ramone. Upon Ramone's death, 52nd Street's Album of the Year Grammy was passed on to Joel. The title is a reference to 52nd Street, which was one of New York City's jazz centers in the middle of the century. Joel's label was headquartered on 52nd Street (in the CBS Building) at the time of the album's release. The studio where recording took place was also on 52nd Street, a block away from the CBS Building. Reception |title=''52nd Street'' – Billy Joel |publisher=AllMusic |accessdate=May 1, 2011 |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |authorlink=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}} | rev2 = Blender | rev2Score = | rev3 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | rev3Score = | rev4 = The Village Voice | rev4Score = B− }} Allmusic praises Joel for expanding stylistically on 1977's The Stranger, describing 52nd Street as "more sophisticated and somewhat jazzy."Allmusic review (Jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard guests on "Zanzibar".) Accolades |- | style="width:35px; text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|1979 || rowspan="2"| 52nd Street || Album of the Year || |- | Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male || |- |"Honesty" || |Song of the Year || |- In 2003, the album was ranked number 352 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Track listing All songs written and composed by Billy Joel. ;Side one ;Side two Song notes The song "Rosalinda's Eyes" was inspired by Joel's mother, Rosalind Nyman Joel. The song was used in the 1982 feature film Personal Best.Personal Best. Dir. Robert Towne. Perf. Mariel Hemingway. 1982. Warner Home Video, 1992. VHS. It was also featured in an episode of the cult classic TV series, Freaks and Geeks (entitled "Carded and Discarded"), in 2000. Personnel *Billy Joel – acoustic piano, Yamaha CP-70 electric grand piano, Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, vocals *Doug Stegmeyer – bass, backing vocals *Liberty DeVitto – drums *Richie Cannata – saxophones, organ, clarinet *Steve Khan – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals *Freddie Hubbard – flugelhorn and trumpet on "Zanzibar" *Mike Mainieri – vibes and marimba on "Zanzibar" and "Rosalinda's Eyes" *David Spinozza – acoustic guitar on "Honesty" *Donnie Dacus & Peter Cetera – background vocals on "My Life" *David Freidman – orchestral chimes and percussion on "Until the Night" *Ralph MacDonald – percussion on "Rosalinda's Eyes" and "Half a Mile Away" *Eric Gale – electric guitar on "Half a Mile Away" *Frank Floyd, Babi Floyd, Zack Sanders, Milt Grayson, & Ray Simpson – background vocals on "Half a Mile Away" *George Marge – sopranino recorder on "Rosalinda's Eyes" *Hugh McCracken – nylon string guitar on "Until the Night" and "Rosalinda's Eyes" *Robert Freedman – horn and string orchestration on "Until the Night" and "Honesty" *Dave Grusin – horn orchestration on "Half a Mile Away" *David Nadien – concertmaster *Phil Ramone - producer, mixing *Kathy Kurs - associate producer *Carol Peters - associate producer *Jim Boyer - engineer, mixing *David Martone - assistant engineer *Ted Jensen - mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, NY) *John Berg - cover design *Jim Houghton - photography Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications and sales }} }} |salesref= }} References Category:1978 albums Category:Billy Joel albums Category:Grammy Award winners for Album of the Year Category:Albums produced by Phil Ramone Category:Columbia Records albums Category:English-language albums